PROJECT SUMMARY The project and core leaders have 23-30 years of coordinated and collaborative research in the field of study (sphingolipids in cancer biology and therapy). Moreover, the group continues to coordinate jointly the strategic development of the research questions as well as address specific research issues. Indeed, a highly coordinated group has emerged comprised of approximately 30 investigators, students, and postdoctoral fellows from the 4 primary laboratories and 2 Shared Resources. The group shares contiguous or adjacent laboratory space at Stony Brook University Cancer Center with many common equipment in a set up that allows fostering of the individual identities of each lab while encouraging collaboration and sharing. The entire group meets weekly, and program leadership meets monthly. Consequently, this group has acquired a highly advanced team spirit with focus on studying sphingolipids in cancer biology and therapeutics. The group has a high level of joint publications (in all permutations that also involve the core leaders). Core A, the Administrative Shared Resource, will continue to provide seamless integration at the operational level for the component projects and research shared resources of this Program. Thus, the core will assist in the overall administration and financial accountability of the Program Project, the overall leadership, the promotion of the goals of the program, and arranging the required meetings for the various program-related groups and committees including the internal and external advisory committees. We have now 14+ years of proof of the efficacy of this Core, as no issues have emerged regarding budgeting, meetings, conflicts in core use, or other possible sources of friction or discontent.